CRUEL SUMMER, which airs on Freeform and Hulu, is a new suspense series set in the 1990s with teen protagonists. If that sounds like something you'd rather miss because of the younger characters, reconsider.

This is a worthwhile investment of your time! It's quiet, enigmatic, and completely enthralling. A date is at the center of a lot of Cruel Summer. Each show, in particular, focuses on a specific date that is introduced at the start of the episode. We see what happened on June 21st in 1993, 1994, and 1995 in episode 1. And it's amazing how much a year can change things. Jeanette Turner celebrates her birthday on this day.

Jeanette is one of the main characters in this series and she’s played by Chiara Aurelia (Gerald’s Game).  While Jeanette is a nerdy girl, the popular girl, Kate Wallis, has everything Jeanette wants. Kate is played by Olivia Holt (Cloak & Dagger). The difference between Jeanette and Kate is almost stereotypical, but it works.

We also meet Jeanette’s best friends Vince (Allius Barnes) and Mallory (Harley Quinn Smith) along with Kate’s boyfriend, Jamie Henson (Froy Gutierrez). Obviously, there are many other characters, but these are the key players in the drama that unfolds over the course of several years in the 1990s.

Change of perspective
In episode 2, the date is June 26th but the years covered are the same. Also, in episode 2, we follow Kate Wallis instead. To say that I love this storytelling style would be an understatement. I absolutely adore this method and it reminded me of The Sinner and This Is Us while being entirely its own thing at the same time.

The fact that the main character switches from one episode to the next is also very reminiscent of the HBO series Euphoria. It enables us [the audience] to see the events from more angles while also getting a much better understanding of the characters.

Nothing is ever black and white, but it does come across that way in many series. With the storytelling style in Cruel Summer, it’s all about the grey nuances. After all, that’s exactly what makes up life.

Watch Cruel Summer on Freeform and Hulu
The series is produced by Jessica Biel, who also produced the brilliant The Sinner series. She starred in the first season and has since stayed on as producer. In every episode, we experience the events from one person’s perspective and always focused on one date in the different years.

It’s scary as all hell but also very realistic. Both when dealing with teenagers and with life-shattering events.

Cruel Summer is so much darker and deeper than I expected and I have great hopes for the entire season. Episodes air on Freeform on Tuesdays and are released the following day on Hulu.

Cruel Summer premiered with a special two-hour event on Tuesday, April 20 at 9 p.m. ET on Freeform. It will also be out on Hulu from April 21, 2021